Editing Mipmap (section)

==Origin==
Mipmapping was invented by [[Lance Williams (graphics researcher)|Lance Williams]] in 1983 and is described in his paper ''Pyramidal parametrics''.<ref name="staff" /> From the abstract: "This paper advances a 'pyramidal parametric' prefiltering and sampling geometry which minimizes aliasing effects and assures continuity within and between target images." The referenced pyramid can be imagined as the set of mipmaps stacked in front of each other.

The first patent issued on Mipmap and texture generation was in 1983 by Johnson Yan, Nicholas Szabo, and Lish-Yann Chen of Link Flight Simulation (Singer). Using their approach, texture could be generated and superimposed on surfaces (curvilinear and planar) of any orientation and could be done in real-time. Texture patterns could be modeled suggestive of the real world material they were intended to represent in a continuous way and free of aliasing, ultimately providing level of detail and gradual (imperceptible) detail level transitions. Texture generating became repeatable and coherent from frame to frame and remained in correct perspective and appropriate occultation. Because the application of real time texturing was applied to early three dimensional flight simulator CGI systems, and texture being a prerequsite for realistic graphics, this patent became widely cited and many of these techniques were later applied in graphics computing and gaming as applications expanded over the years.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Johnson K. Yan, Nicholas S. Szabo, Lish-Yann Chen |title=Texture Generation |url=https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/9d/3b/9f/603a55c4b7f692/US4615013.pdf}}</ref>

The origin of the term mipmap is an initialism of the Latin phrase ''multum in parvo'' ("much in little"), and map, modeled on bitmap.<ref name="staff" /> The term ''pyramids'' is still commonly used in a [[geographic information system|GIS]] context. In GIS software, pyramids are primarily used for speeding up rendering times.